HIGHWAY 410 NEAR GREENWATER WA
October 19, 2010
I woke up to a grey, damp chilly fog outside, and even though the weather forecast was calling for sunny skies later in the day, I had trouble believing it. But, this is the Pacific Northwest, and we get these days in the fall—chilly damp mornings with clear and mild afternoons. After running a couple of errands, I could see the fog beginning to burn off, and about 10:30 or so I put my gear on, threw my camera in the saddlebag, and headed off on the scoot.
I could see some light poking through the misty cloud cover toward Mt Rainier, and I decided to head up toward Chinook Pass, hoping to climb above the low-level clouds and get some sunshine. The weather forecast was calling for a storm to roll in next weekend, almost certain to bring snow to the higher elevations, which meant the passes could be closed soon. Rolled up through Buckley and Enumclaw, then began the climb up toward the pass on Highway 410. Roughly, 10 miles or so out of Enumclaw, the sun finally broke through and it felt like the temperature warmed about 10 degrees! The highway took me through Federation Forest State Park and the town of Greenwater, and into Mt Rainier National Park.
I woke up to a grey, damp chilly fog outside, and even though the weather forecast was calling for sunny skies later in the day, I had trouble believing it. But, this is the Pacific Northwest, and we get these days in the fall—chilly damp mornings with clear and mild afternoons. After running a couple of errands, I could see the fog beginning to burn off, and about 10:30 or so I put my gear on, threw my camera in the saddlebag, and headed off on the scoot.
I could see some light poking through the misty cloud cover toward Mt Rainier, and I decided to head up toward Chinook Pass, hoping to climb above the low-level clouds and get some sunshine. The weather forecast was calling for a storm to roll in next weekend, almost certain to bring snow to the higher elevations, which meant the passes could be closed soon. Rolled up through Buckley and Enumclaw, then began the climb up toward the pass on Highway 410. Roughly, 10 miles or so out of Enumclaw, the sun finally broke through and it felt like the temperature warmed about 10 degrees! The highway took me through Federation Forest State Park and the town of Greenwater, and into Mt Rainier National Park.
A VIEW FROM CAYUSE PASS
JUST WHAT IT SAYS
A few miles out of Greenwater, I pulled off the road to get a picture of Mt Rainier, and opted to go to Cayuse Pass to see what I could. I had been over Cayuse a few weeks ago for the first time, and could not see much due to --- you guessed it --- the fog. About 20 miles out of Greenwater, I came to the junction of Highways 410 and 123. The road twists and winds for 15 miles toward Highway 12, and junctions just below White Pass, and the views are spectacular! There are plenty of turn offs for viewing the sights, and the road appears to have been recently worked on so it is easy to travel. I turned around at the junction with Highway 12 and headed back. A left turn at Highway 410 headed me back down the mountain, again with beautiful occasional views of Mt Rainier. Very little traffic made the ride very relaxing, but as I descended the pass, the sun disappeared behind the fog once again.
MT RAINIER TRYING TO HIDE
I turned off the highway about 15 miles down from Greenwater onto Mud Mountain Road. The Mud Mountain Dam is a US Army Corps of Engineers flood control project on the White River. Built in the 1940’s, it was designed to control floods in the White River and Puyallup River Valleys. The reservoir is usually empty other than the normal flow of the White River, but if it were completely filled, it would cover about 1200 acres and stretch for 5 miles! I couldn’t get any great pics of the dam since the fog had closed in again, so after a short stay at the viewing platform, I saddled up and headed back toward Buckley. The Mud Mountain road is a bikers dream---twists and turns, no traffic, and very few houses. This time of year, however, I had to really watch for wet leaves and gravel in the turns. The road covers just over 7 miles, and put me back on Highway 410 between Enumclaw and Buckley, and a short ride back to the house completed my trip, about 4 hours after leaving.
CAYUSE PASS
WHITE RIVER FROM MUD MOUNTAIN DAM
MUD MOUNTAIN DAM